(RNS) — The Episcopal Diocese of Texas announced on Saturday (Nov. 1) that one of its priests, a Kenyan national, has been detained by immigration officials despite working in the state legally.
The Episcopal bishop of Texas said the priest, who was a “legally employed Kenyan clergy member who works for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice,” was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials this week while returning home from his workplace.
The statement added that the priest, who was not named, has been transferred to an immigration detention center in Conroe, north of Houston, and had been able to speak to his family. In its statement, the diocese, which covers most of the eastern part of the state, called for assistance from “representatives in power” and said pastoral and legal teams from the diocese are “accompanying the priest’s community and family as they continue to seek justice and understanding in this matter.”
Asked about the priest’s arrest, the bishop, the Rt. Rev. C. Andrew Doyle, said the detained priest is “OK” but that church officials are still seeking answers. “We do not know yet why he was targeted,” Doyle told Religion News Service in an email. “He is working legally and his immigration status is documented with a work permit.”
Doyle said that the diocese is also in contact with some elected officials in the region, although he did not name which.
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